Blountstown, Florida

Last updated

Blountstown, Florida
City
Blountstown City Hall.jpg
Blountstown City Hall
Motto: 
"The Kingdom Of Opportunity"
Calhoun County Florida Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Blountstown Highlighted.svg
Location in Calhoun County and the state of Florida
Coordinates: 30°26′35″N85°2′43″W / 30.44306°N 85.04528°W / 30.44306; -85.04528
Country Flag of the United States.svg  United States
State Flag of Florida.svg  Florida
County   Calhoun
Government
 • MayorTony Shoemake
Area
[1]
 • Total3.20 sq mi (8.28 km2)
 • Land3.19 sq mi (8.25 km2)
 • Water0.01 sq mi (0.03 km2)
Elevation
62 ft (19 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total2,266
 • Density711.01/sq mi (274.50/km2)
Time zone UTC-6 (Central (CST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP code
32424
Area code 850
FIPS code 12-06925 [2]
GNIS feature ID0279006 [3]
Website blountstownfl.govoffice3.com
Modern Calhoun County Courthouse Calhoun County (Blountstown).jpg
Modern Calhoun County Courthouse

Blountstown is a city and the county seat of Calhoun County, Florida, United States. . [4] As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 2,266.

Contents

Name

Blountstown is named for John Blount, a Creek Indian [5] chief who served as a guide for General Andrew Jackson during his invasion of Spanish Florida in 1818. This invasion was not directed at Spain, per se, but at Seminole Indians who would attack settlements north of Florida, then retreat to relative safety below the border of Spanish Florida. Also, Spain did not return escaped slaves to the U.S. In any case, this invasion caused Spain to sell Florida to the United States, since it was apparent that Spain would have a hard time defending against invasion. Thus, this territory became a part of the U.S. in 1821. [6]

History

Blountstown was originally named for a Seminole Chief (John Blount), who had been awarded land in the vicinity by Andrew Jackson for aiding Jackson in his battles against the Native Americans. However, he was forced to move from Florida to Texas in the 1830s. He died soon after being relocated. [7]

In the late 1850s, there was an open and violent feud between two rival factions which included the local Durden family. At one point, the Durdens and their rivals had a "pitched battle" at the courthouse square in Blountstown. [8]

On October 10, 2018, Blountstown was nearly annihilated when Category 5 Hurricane Michael struck the town. [9] The city was without power for almost three weeks and over 80% of homes and businesses were heavily damaged or destroyed. Blountstown High School suffered heavy damage, but Blountstown Elementary School was completely destroyed. In addition, the local timber and farming industries, which are Calhoun County's largest industries, were completely destroyed, costing millions of dollars in economic loss. [10]

Geography

Blountstown is located at 30°26′35″N85°02′43″W / 30.442957°N 85.045402°W / 30.442957; -85.045402 . [11]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.3 km2), of which 3.2 square miles (8.3 km2) is land and 0.31% is water.

Directly to the east lies Bristol in Liberty County. Blountstown and Calhoun County uses the Central Time Zone, as opposed to Liberty County which is in the Eastern Time Zone.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1910 546—
1920 86358.1%
1930 1,27047.2%
1940 1,93152.0%
1950 2,1189.7%
1960 2,37512.1%
1970 2,3840.4%
1980 2,63210.4%
1990 2,404−8.7%
2000 2,4441.7%
2010 2,5142.9%
2020 2,266−9.9%
U.S. Decennial Census [12]

As of the 2020 census, [13] Blountstown city had a population of 2,266 with 1,131 total households. There was a 47.0% employment rate and a median household income of $37,083. 28.6% of the population lived below the poverty threshold. The median age in the city was 38.0 years old.

Government

The old Calhoun County courthouse was located in Blountstown and is currently listed as a historic Florida landmark. [14]

The city is home of the Calhoun Correctional Institution.

Education

Calhoun County School District operates public schools.

Blountstown has three schools: Blountstown Elementary School, [15] servicing kindergarten through fifth grades; Blountstown Middle School for sixth through eighth; [16] and Blountstown High School for ninth through twelfth. [17]

Notable people

Images

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Bartow, Florida</span>

The history of Bartow, Florida spans over 150 years, although humans have inhabited the area for close to 12,000 years. Established in 1851 by Redding Blount, the city has gone from being a small frontier outpost vulnerable to Seminole Indian attack to being the county seat of Polk County, a county with more than half a million people.

References

  1. ↑ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  2. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  3. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  5. ↑ "John Blount History -". www.apalachicolabandofcreeks.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2013. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  6. ↑ History of Blountstown, Florida: The Story of Chief Blount & the City of Blountstown. Calhoun County Chamber Of Commerce. 2010-05-24. URL:http://www.calhounco.org/history-blountstown.cfm. Accessed: 2010-05-24. (Archived by WebCite at)
  7. ↑ Covington, James W. (October 1963). "Federal Relations with the Apalachicola Indians: 1823-1838". The Florida Historical Quarterly. 42 (2): 136. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  8. ↑ Bittle, George C. (October 1972). "Florida Prepares for War, 1860-1861". The Florida Historical Quarterly. 51 (2): 143. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  9. ↑ Etters, Karl (October 13, 2018). "'Heartbreaking': Communications cut off in ravaged Liberty, Calhoun after Hurricane Michael". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  10. ↑ Wagner, Hannah. "A Storm Like No Other Came and Went. A Community of Timber Farmers Persisted". stateforesters.org/. National Association of State Foresters. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  11. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  12. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Blountstown city, Florida". data.census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  14. ↑ A Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture, 1989, Gainesville: University of Florida Press, p. 23, ISBN   0-8130-0941-3
  15. ↑ blountstownelementary.org
  16. ↑ blountstownmiddle.org
  17. ↑ blountstownhigh.org
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